Secret Japan

[Melis]

Hi!

We are very excited about our three week trip to Japan, starting in Tokyo (Nov. 6th) and ending in Osaka (Nov. 28th).
The only thing planned are the first 4 days in Tokyo... after that all is open.

It seems to be a country with endless opportunities, and we'd love to see it all but we only have three weeks (this time ;-). So we decided to just really enjoy what we can without rushing from one place to another all the time.
Because we are heading to Japan in Nov, we thought it is probably best to concentrate on the area south of Tokyo?

We are excited about the cities and cultural highlights, but are also into adventurous stuff.
Also it is a much needed holiday from office jobs in cold Amsterdam: where can we relax (in the sun)? Is it worthwhile going down to islands in the south?
We are both scuba dive instructors (used to work in Thailand and Indonesia). How is the diving down there (in comparison)?

Also we are wondering whether we should get a 2wk/ 3 wk JR ticket?

We'd love to hear tips: what should we really do?

Thank you so much!

[sanji]

Indeed, it is a country with endless opportunities if you have time to visit remote places.

In November, the northern part of Tohoku starts to get chilly and possibly snowy, with transportations less and less available. So heading south might be a good idea.

If you wish to really enjoy hot weather, you will have to head to Okinawa. While November is much, much warmer than in Europe (I even used to swim in the sea in Izu until the first WE of November), it still is not really that warm anymore. Especially if you are divers, visiting Okinawa could be a great option. Time and money permitting, I would strongly suggest you to visit Iriomote and Ishigaki, which are amazing islands and have some good diving. Still, keep in mind that Japan is not South-East Asia when it comes to the quality of the diving, so spending 1-2 days diving could be fun, but you are in Japan only three weeks and time is limited.

A good option could be, if this is your first trip to Japan, to invest 1 week - 10 days visiting the classical destinations (Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara) and then spend time in less popular places, depending what you enjoy doing. Kuyshu is pretty nice in November, with great onsen and hikes. Okinawa has, as I said, good diving and amazing nature (again talking about the southern islands). The Inland Sea is also an attractive option is you want to be close to the sea while still visiting cultural spots...

[Melis]

Thank you Sanji for your useful tips!
We will definitely follow your advice and head south after spending 10 days in the classical destinations.

One more question: would you then recommend us taking a JR ticket? If so: for 2 or for 3 weeks?

Thanks!

[sanji]

It really depends how much you are going to travel, and if it fits on 1/2/3 weeks. The best is to do your schedule, and then calculate the total cost of the train. You can then only check if it is worth to take a JR Pass...

JR Pass is nice, as you can easily travel around without caring about the cost of the train. On the other hand, many lines in the Kansai area are not JR trains, so if you don't have the pass, you are more flexible...

[Melis]

Thanks Sanji!

We did order the ticket for 21 days. We think we might make enough use of it :-)